Things We Could've Done
by Night Doktor
Summary: Naruto of the Uzumaki Clan. Not much is known about him, other than that the redhead is shy, average and unassuming. Except for his full clan heritage, trusty chakra chains and a few tricks up his sleeve. Of course, when there is Uzumaki, chaos blooms. Sharingan!Naruto, ANBU!Naruto, Intelligent!Naruto, ClownishAssholeSmartass!Naruto. NaruSasu, starting off slow.
1. Chapter 1

**Yo, Mordred here! Got another story starting here of an idea I've been toying with for some time. It will be second in priority to Follow the Dim Light, but it'll get updates... somewhat ish regularly maybe? Heck I'm not going to make any promises. It's rough, but just a starting point.**

* * *

Enjoy!

Naruto slumped at his desk, scrolls everywhere. Littered the kitchen bench. Stashed under the bed, slotted in overfull scroll racks. Ink was also everywhere on his desk, hands, and even smeared through his blood red hair.

True to Uzumaki fashion, he startled awake and blearily took stock of his surroundings, blue eyes falling onto the clock which read 9:45am.

His awareness suddenly crashing into harsh clarity, he disappeared to the bathroom to wash out the ink that he'd managed to smear all over himself.

Packing his gear for the last day of the academy, Naruto flung himself out of his meagre apartment, activating the security seals that crawled over his door and windows as he left. Jumping and weaving his way across the village, Naruto remarked on how life used to be.

He didn't always have unrestricted access up to but not including, Jōnin rank in the Library. He wasn't always trained secretly by the ANBU squads that used to guard him. He wasn't always invisible to the general populace.

It took one severe, life-threatening beating and near rape until the Hokage stepped in and upon demand from both the ANBU on duty and from Jiraiya, who happened to be in the village at the time, was Naruto moved into an old ANBU safehouse, and promptly set to a strict, harsh training regime that new ANBU recruits were put through.

Wanting to preserve his childhood was out of the question, Hiruzen knew. Now that his very life was in danger, it was important that he was trained and prepared for the life he would no doubt lead, as the village's jinchūriki. As much as Hiruzen deplored it, he was still a military asset that needed to be utilised for the greater good of the village.

As much as he wanted to preserve all of Naruto's humanity, as the leader of the village, he did not have that luxury.

Of course, Naruto was instructed to keep everything under wraps. No one, aside from the Hokage, Jiraiya and the ANBU squad responsible for his training knew that he was more than the meek, average redhead that he appeared to be.

Shaking his head to clear the reverie, Naruto alighted at the front gates of the Academy from his series of shunshins.

Breathing moderately from the high-paced sprint across the village, he barged into his classroom just as the tests were being handed out.

Iruka just shook his head, used to the redhead's tardiness. Wordlessly handing him a paper and motioning towards a seat, Naruto graciously accepted it with a nod of thanks.

Beginning the test, Naruto's eyes narrowed. Regardless of genjutsu training or not, his Uzumaki heritage granted him an uncanny sensory prowess. Named "Mind's Eye of the Kagura" by an ancient Uzumaki tome that Hiruzen had in his possession, it pointed out that this test paper was laden with chakra, enough to sustain a genjutsu throughout the written portion of the test.

Delivering a pulse of chakra to dispel the genjutsu at the source would be unwise; undoubtedly drawing very unwanted attention. Instead, he channelled his chakra into the paper slowly, erratically as to disturb the illusion long enough for him to write in answers, Mizuki, whom the chakra belonged to, was completely unaware.

Completing the test was an easy task. After all, Hiruzen had made him study, whether the young redhead liked it or not. (Hint: he didn't. Not one bit.)

What he did excel in, however, was the portion of the exam that Naruto was both looking forward to and dreading. Ninjutsu.

Having incredibly dense and potent chakra made performing C-rank and below jutsu almost impossible without months of strict chakra control.

While he was going to ace the exam, he was annoyed he couldn't show off any of his fūinjutsu or any of the cool Suiton jutsu that Hiruzen had been able to teach him, in their limited time together.

Breaking out of his thoughts once more, Naruto turned to complete the taijutsu portion. Mimicking the basic academy form, he passed the requirements of the exam with little to no struggle. Giving a shake to rid himself of the horrid form once and for all, opting to fall back on the Uzuken, he seated himself at the base of a nearby tree and observed his classmates.

His eyes fell on Uchiha Sasuke, and his thoughts wandered to the boy. He, like every villager, knew of the massacre. But, unlike the villagers, he knew why.

One of his teachers was Uchiha Itachi. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu resistance practice. If Sasuke knew his elder brother had spent a great deal of time with Naruto, he'd be livid. Even if it was training the village's weapon.

Because of that, Itachi had become somewhat attached to the young redhead in his charge, and made him swear that once Itachi's mission was done, he had come back to explain, covered in blood that wasn't his.

Itachi had also made it a request that he look after his little brother. Given Sasuke's temperament and ego, it was a very difficult task.

An idea forming inside his head, he bowed his eyes down to mask the smirk that graced his features.

* * *

It was quite some time until the end of the Academy day; the anticipation of his idea getting the better of him. When the bell rang, he schooled himself like the ANBU taught him, and eased his mind before his task.

Itachi was not going to like this. Not one bit. The village elders were not going to like this, not one bit. But, if Sasuke was more loyal to himself and his brother, he was significantly less likely to defect in the future, blinded by revenge and hate.

Following Sasuke home at a distance was easy. Years of ANBU training and pranks had taught him stealth to a prodigious degree.

Finally, the young Uchiha made it to his apartment in an outer area of the Uchiha compound. Understandably, he'd move away from his family home.

As he'd expected, Sasuke soon after returned out his house and set to training. Sensing now would be an appropriate time, he appeared beside the boy via shunshin.

Startling, Sasuke yelped and fell backwards, staring up at Naruto's amused expression.

"What the fuck, dobe?"

Naruto's grin widened. "So as far as you know. Come on, get up and show me what you've got."

Sasuke eyed his classmate warily. He'd just used a shunshin to appear. That alone was incredibly advanced for a genin.

Taking a stance, he threw a right hook, just to test the waters. The redhead tilted his head to the side and leant in, spinning backwards and lashing out with a side kick that sent Sasuke flying backwards, and rolling on the ground.

"Come." Naruto beckoned, making a "come hither" gesture.

Enraged, that this nobody orphan bested him, Sasuke hissed and ran at his opponent, holding back no longer.

Naruto eyed his movements and weaved between them, now opting for a passive approach.

"Stop dodging! What is the point of this!" Sasuke yelled, starting to show signs of exertion.

 _Why can't I hit him? I'm an Uchiha, an elite!_

Naruto simply observed, taking notes of flaws in the other boy's form and movements.

Jumping back, he made a song and dance of breathing fire, and a pompous display surely, as expected, enraged Sasuke even further.

" **Katon: Gōkyakyū no Jutsu!** (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)" Sasuke boomed, sending a moderate fireball in Naruto's direction.

Eyes gleaming, Naruto made a Shadow Clone, substituted with it and crept up behind the now panting Uchiha.

"Say, you _almost_ had me." Naruto drawled, checking his nails.

Sasuke glared daggers, and took a wild swing, which Naruto lazily caught, and brought him right up close.

"You want me to hit you? So be it." Naruto breathed, and let loose a sucker punch to Sasuke's gut, then followed with a kick to the face, sending Sasuke flying, out cold.

"Hmm… Perhaps I overdid it…" Naruto scratched his chin, walking over to collect the unconscious form of his classmate.

* * *

When Sasuke came to, he was laid on his lounge in the living room of his smaller apartment.

Startling when the memories from earlier in the afternoon burst through his head, Sasuke flung himself up and made to attack the other presence in the room, only to freeze as glowing orange chains circled his form, menacing spear tipped ends lazily floating near his neck.

"Now now, no need for that. I brought you inside after I knocked you on your ass, out cold." Naruto allowed himself a chuckle at the memory.

"I've got some serious things to tell you and I really think you should sit down. This will not be easy." Naruto retracted his chains and reabsorbed them.

Sasuke took a deep breath, stilled his nerves and sat back down.

Naruto followed suit, on the opposite single chair.

"You've been lied to by two people in your life in a massive way. The first is myself. I'm not the average bookish kid you think I am. I'm an ANBU trained, sealing and ninjutsu specialist from the revered Uzumaki Clan. My mother, was the Red Death of Konoha, the infamous **Benihime** (Red Princess). My father, however, was an orphan by the name of Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage." Naruto explained.

Sasuke reeled for a moment. So the class mediocre, shy guy was in fact ANBU level in skill and was _actually_ from _the_ Uzumaki Clan. The clan that was feared for their sealing jutsu, but more specifically, their **Sensō Fūin** (Battle Sealing), which were sealing techniques that could be cast with chakra alone, without any surface, and finally, the feared **Kongō Fūsa** (Adamantine Sealing Chains) wielded by the Benihime and now her son, Uzumaki Naruto.

"If this wool was so easily pulled over your eyes, how much do you truly see, Sasuke?" Naruto asked gently.

Sasuke turned to look at his classmate with a shellshocked look.

"Who was the second person who has lied to me?"

Naruto grimaced. "I'd dreaded this part of the conversation. Excuse me for a moment." He sighed, walking to the middle of the room and making several blindingly fast handseals, and touching the ground with his index finger.

Seals spewed forth from the contact point, and rose to form a barrier inside the room.

"This seal prevents any sound, light or physical particles leaving this space. Of course I've tweaked it so we can still breathe." Naruto tried to resist a flashback to when he asphyxiated himself and woke up to a very worried Inu.

"The Uchiha clan was planning a coup d'état because of the suspicion and distrust planted within the village, surrounding the night of my birth. You'll find out that information later. It is much more severe compared to this, in a way. In the end, Shimura Danzō had heavily influenced the shinobi council and Sarutobi Hiruzen to order the complete execution of the Uchiha Clan, to prevent a civil war, and then eventually, the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Your brother slaughtered every man, woman and child in the Clan, save you. No matter how he loved his village, and wanted to preserve the good name of his Clan, no matter what he did, he couldn't kill you. His precious little brother." Naruto was interrupted by Sasuke screaming.

"NO! LIES! He fucking slaughtered them all, to test his strength! He showed me in that fucking genjutsu over and over for days! How can I believe anything otherwise? How the fuck do you know any of this?!" Sasuke's voice was cracking at the end, his eyes showing unshed tears, that he'd held back ever since that night.

Naruto sighed, and looked aside. "I'd hoped to never have to use this on you, let alone show you if I could've avoided it. But I have no choice."

The redhead stared Sasuke right in the eyes, and it took all Sasuke had not to explode as he saw his classmate's eyes bleed into a colour redder than his hair.

Sasuke gaped as he stared right into the menacing gaze of a fully matured pair of Sharingan eyes. Slowly, the tomoe began to spin, drawing him into a memory. A stream of memories.

Itachi and a few other ANBU agents showing him how to fight. A variety of taijutsu styles.

The memory that hurt the most was Itachi showing Naruto the katas for the Uchiha Interceptor Fist, things that he should've been shown, by his own brother!

Itachi showing Naruto all of the Sharingan techniques that he knew. He would never be up to the fine control Itachi had, due to his massive chakra reserves, but he knew much more about the dōjutsu than a full blooded Uchiha did.

Itachi telling Naruto stories about Sasuke. Itachi kneeling down in front of a terrified Naruto, after he'd explained what he'd done, covered in blood that wasn't his, tears freely flowing.

"Protect Sasuke no matter what. As an Uchiha that is as competent as any other, as one of our own, as my student, I give you one final task. No matter what, protect my little brother, and your clan member. He's all I have left in this world now. I'm leaving now, branded as a traitor and a missing-nin. I'm spying on a terrorist organisation from the inside, reporting to the Hokage directly …"

Naruto cut off the memory there, as he didn't want to reveal this last piece of information yet.

Sasuke fell back into the lounge and laid there for a few minutes.

"This changes everything. I mean… my clan. What they could've done to the village and what they could have caused... I can't think about it. Who do I blame, then? Who is the cause for all this suffering?" Sasuke's voice raised steadily to a near shout at the end, sitting up and looking straight at Naruto's crimson eyes.

"What I can reveal to you was that there was a culprit behind the Kyūbi attack twelve years ago. Nothing about him is known except three things." Naruto said, holding up three fingers.

"First, he seemed to be operating alone, and was wearing an orange mask with a black flame pattern and only his right eye was visible through the mask. That brings us to the second thing. That right eye, was a Sharingan." Naruto let that further information sink in.

"The third, was that he was under the alias of Uchiha Madara." Sasuke's eyes snapped wide open at this news.

"Impossible. He's dead." Sasuke denied, shaking his head wildly.

"Nothing is truly impossible. I've read legends in the Uzumaki Vault deep within the ruins of Uzushiogakure of seals that were capable of destroying armies. Taking their souls, and using it as energy for a weapon. With the Uchiha dōjutsu we do the unthinkable without breaking a sweat." Naruto countered, pulsing his Sharingan for added effect, unknowingly emitting a chilling red glow from his eyes as he did so.

"That being said, he would be nowhere near his former strength. He was probably his disciple, or perhaps a pawn. Far too weak to move about on his own. We need more information than we currently have. Did Itachi tell you anything when he left?" Naruto asked, standing up.

"Yeah, he said that when I had the same eyes as he did, to go to the Naka Shrine, underneath a specific tatami mat was the Clan's sacred meeting place. There was a tablet there he wanted me to read." Sasuke dreaded the memory but he wasn't sure if he could deny this new- no real, Naruto before him.

"I see. Then let's go. I think the answers we seek lie there." Naruto stood, and dispersed the barrier with a hand clap.

* * *

 **Alrighty! Let me know what you think in the reviews section, and remember to follow if you want to see more of this story!**

 **Mordred, out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo, welcome to Chapter 2. I'm not going to make any excuses for the delay; life happened, blablabla.**

 **Without any further ado, I present the next instalment.**

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke stood side by side in front of the decrepit shrine, shadowed by neglect.

"Are you ready, Sasuke?" Naruto cast a sidelong glance at his classmate who balled his hands into fists.  
"More than ready."

They soon found themselves inside the shrine. Moving quickly to the specific mat, and removing the stone block underneath it by Naruto flaring his chakra and eyes, the boys ventured forth to the stone tablet, enthroned on a dais on the opposite end of the chamber that seemed to stretch for an agonised eternity before they reached it.

Eyes bleeding crimson, Naruto scrutinised the tablet. Focusing specifically on chakra, he noticed slight variations around the inscriptions and saw cracks around the edges.  
Stepping back, he hissed. "This has been modified."

Sasuke whipped around with a yelp. "What?! What are you saying, Uzumaki?"  
"I'm saying that you Uchiha have been going by a false tablet all these years." Naruto fell into a squat and then onto his back, comforted not at all by the cold unforgiving floor.  
Sasuke stood, not sure what to think, or feel. "My brother has read this tablet, and told me to come before him when I had the same eyes. What does that mean?"  
Naruto groaned. "He mentioned that the Sharingan has a secret evolution beyond 'fully mature' with three tomoe in each eye. The Mangekyō Sharingan, obtained by extreme emotional distress. He would have told you that you had to kill the person closest to you, didn't he?"

Sasuke nodded, casting his gaze aside, reluctant to bring memories of that night to the fore.  
"That's more or less what he said."  
Naruto groaned. "Well, I can't see what the original inscriptions were, but I daresay there were hundreds, if not thousands of unnecessary deaths since this was modified, likely sometime after the Sage's death. The Mangekyō can be obtained through severe mental and emotional strain, not only by killing the one closest to you, as most believed."

Sasuke mulled this over, until a thought occurred to him.  
"Naruto, do you have your Mangekyō?" Sasuke asked quietly, aware that it was a sensitive thing to ask.  
Naruto turned his head and eyed his companion.  
"No. It's a wonder my Sharingan is fully matured at my age, if we're talking averages. Even if I did have it, I'd be loath to use it. Each time you use its power, your eyesight diminishes until there's no light in your eyes."  
Sasuke's own eyes widened. "He told you all of this?"  
Naruto closed his eyes and sighed. "He taught me what it is to be an Uchiha. Lore, dōjutsu, history, fire manipulation. He was determined that the one who represented the safety of his ultimate loyalty be empowered to do what they needed to."

Sasuke again was silent, drawn into thought.  
"You're the embodiment of his ultimate loyalty; the village, aren't you?"  
Naruto nodded from the floor.  
"Uchiha Itachi is even now protecting the village, even though the entire world calls him Kinslayer, and speak of his name with nothing but loathing and terror. He is a true shinobi, one who endures far too much."

Soft patters were heard as Sasuke broke his emotional dam he'd been fighting to contain. Naruto rose to his feet with the fluidity and grace of a rising predator. Soundlessly moving towards Sasuke, he pulled him into an embrace and held him there as he wailed, the sounds contained indefinitely by the cold, hard walls of the chamber.  
"Sasuke, I will promise you the rotten cunt that did this will die. You and I, we will train ourselves to be able to take on Shimura Danzō and kill him. Then, we will train harder, for we have to fight your brother with the intention to incapacitate rather than kill. It's far harder to do that, especially when he is determined to die by your hand. He won't get his way, not this time." Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear, once he'd quietened.

Sasuke trembled still, but gripped onto Naruto as his lifeline. Normally, physical contact was a big no no. Opening up to people, creating bonds he'd only have to sever, even worse.  
But Naruto emanated such a strength, and warmth that he couldn't deny feeling like he could trust and depend on. Shaking off the comfort before he lingered too long, he pulled away, blushing as he wiped away the stray tears that had yet to fall.  
Naruto kindly waited, and made to speak again once Sasuke had righted himself.  
"Sasuke, I'm truly sorry for you being kept in the dark for so long. Itachi had originally intended for you to kill him, cleansing the Uchiha name and providing his own penance for his crimes against the clan. In fact, we're going to have our work cut out for us in trying to keep him from decapitating me, for ruining his plans. But you know what? They're fucking stupid and he's an idiot that I want to come home again, as a hero, rather than a criminal."  
Sasuke took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.  
"Okay, so we're going to have to approach things far differently now, aren't we? I'm going to try my hardest, but years of isolation aren't going to be reversed very easily. Now I know the truth, I'm no longer mired in darkness… I'm free."

Naruto smiled. "Yes. But you forget, we have team placements in roughly… FUCK! 2 minutes!"  
Breaking out of his serious demeanour in a split second, Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the arm, popped a Shunshin to the end of the chamber, ascended the staircase, threw the stone and mat back in place and bolted to the Academy, with poor Sasuke ragdolling behind, attached to his newfound friend by his arm alone.

\- Academy, 20 seconds before Iruka walks in -

Naruto panted, hands on his knees, inside the room, next to a sickly looking Sasuke who flopped onto the floor.  
"Fuck, that was some close shit. Luckily sensei isn't here yet or we'd be up shit creek without a fucking paddle!" Naruto huffed, eyeing his friend. "Sasuke?"  
The Uchiha groaned pitifully, and managed to haul himself up. "Fuck me, that was brutal. If you ever-"  
Naruto brightened. "Yes plea-"  
Suddenly the classroom fell deathly silent as a decent KI weighed down on the two boys.

"Naruto. Sasuke. Detention, 2 hours. That language is unbecoming of both of you. I don't care, get back here immediately after your team meetings."  
Naruto groaned, and suppressed another tirade of crude language. Dragging himself into a seat, Sasuke slid in next to him.  
Naruto made the mistake of setting his head on the desk for a brief moment, and woke to Sasuke jabbing him in the side as the last few teams were called.

"And lastly, Team 7 consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto. Your Jōnin sensei is Hatake Kakashi."  
Naruto groaned. "Not him, god fucking damn it."  
Iruka grew even more irate at that, a feat given how pissed off the man was, and snapped his pencil.  
"That's it, make it 3 hours. You're in it too, Sasuke!"  
"What?!" Came an indignant cry from the Uchiha, while Naruto snickered.

Slowly, Iruka reigned in his temper, and delivered a final goodbye speech, imploring them to take cares with the shinobi lifestyle and to entrust themselves with their teammates.  
Eventually all of the students had been collected by their Jōnin sensei, leaving the three suckers behind.  
Naruto slammed his fist on the table, startling his teammates and pissing off Sakura. Raising a hand to silence her, he made his way to the nearest window and slammed it open, jutting his head outside.  
"I swear to fucking god if Dog is any later than 5 minutes from now, I'll find your Icha Icha series and seal it in with the fucking Kyūbi! And he's a pervert so you're never getting them back!"  
Satisfied, Naruto returned inside and closed the window gently. Moments later, the classroom door opened to reveal a tall, lean built man, white silvery hair that defied the laws of gravity, with his hitae-ate covering his right eye, standard Jōnin uniform with backplated black gloves and an orange book glued to his face.  
He lowered the book to glower at Naruto in particular.

"My first impression? Naruto sucks. Meet me on the roof in 5 minutes or you fail."  
With that, he burst into smoke.  
"That fucker! He sent a clone to meet us to buy time! Fuck!" Naruto cursed, stomping his way to the door. "I'll head on up, and talk with sensei for a moment." He said, and vanished in a clean, silent shunshin.  
Sakura blinked. "Wait, when did he learn that? I've never really paid much attention to him before, to tell you the truth." She sighed, and collected her things. "Coming?"  
Sasuke startled to reality. "Yeah yeah, keep your shirt on. Please…" He muttered, ignoring the crestfallen look on his teammates face as he walked past.

-On the roof-

Naruto alighted from his Shunshin, and half a moment later, Kakashi did the same.  
"My question is how do you know the Shunshin technique?"

Naruto groaned, and stood at attention, saluted, and released his ANBU mask from a seal behind his ear.  
A stylised Fox mask slid into place on Naruto's features, colouring his hair black and modifying his voice slightly.  
"Fox, reporting. Reserve member, trained by Crow. You may know of me, sir." Naruto reported, still standing at attention.  
Kakashi facepalmed. "Of course. Remove your mask; at ease."

Naruto obliged, just as his teammates came upstairs. He didn't quite want Sakura to know all of this yet. Sasuke was a necessity, whereas Sakura was a liability related to an influential member of the Village Council. Troublesome.  
"Alright, now you're all here, let's start with introductions. Same bullshit, new team. Let's go, Red."  
Naruto grumbled something offensive, which Kakashi heard, given his raised eyebrow, but continued anyway.

"Yo, name's Uzumaki Naruto, don't wear it out. I like sealing, ninjutsu, blowing things up and shiny sharp things. I dislike shitty people, and lies. Hmm… Hobbies? Blowing things up, sealing things, and… and… umm… Oh! I also like the Kyūbi but he doesn't like you like he likes me so suck a dick. My dream for the future? Peace."  
Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi simultaneously blinked. _What the fuck?_

"Oookay… Pinky, you next."  
Sakura blushed. "I'm Haruno Sakura, I like… My hobbies are… I dislike spicy things and Ino-pig! My dream…" Sakura glanced at Sasuke with each pause, meanwhile Kakashi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
"I don't know what I expected, really. Broody, you next."

Sasuke also grumbled something mildly offensive, causing Kakashi to glare accusingly at Naruto, who shrugged it off, as if to say, _not my influence!  
_ "Name's Uchiha Sasuke, I like training, fire, and like Naruto, 'shiny sharp things'," he began, making quotation gestures with his hands on using Naruto's wording. "I also like tomatoes, and dislike liars and traitors. My dream? To discover the truth behind this village, and clease it of the poison within."

Kakashi's eyes widened, and this time stared dead at Naruto.

"An interesting couple of responses there. Still, I'd like to inform you that you in fact, have not yet passed. Tomorrow, I will be testing you to see if you have the necessary skills to become Genin, whereas the Academy tests were simply to weed out those that did not have the potential, or aptitude. Be at Training Ground 7 at 6am sharp."  
Sakura made to argue, but Naruto cut her off. "Shut it fangirl harpy. Kakashi-sensei, my threat remains. I know where you live, I know a lot about you, thanks to a friend of mine. I will not be insulted by you being late and wasting our time and yours."  
With that, he stood, and vanished again in a perfect Shunshin.

Kakashi took a moment to absorb the information before disappearing in the same fashion, leaving Sasuke to turn and walk away from Sakura, ignoring her cries to get a date out of him.  
 _Stupid bitch._

\- ANBU Headquarters -

"So, I knew you'd think to look for me here first, Kakashi-senpai." Fox turned, in full ANBU gear, with dark red armour.  
However, the katana in his hand gave the elder ANBU agent pause. It was a standard katana, however that was where the conformity to standard ended. The blade metal was crimson, with swirl patterns etched into the entirety of the metal, with a simple spiral tsuba, and a pitch black grip.

"I see, you inherited _Benihime_." Kakashi observed, moving towards his student.  
"I see your talent for stating the obvious hasn't declined in the slightest." Naruto returned, entering a loose stance and beckoning Kakashi forward.  
The white haired man obliged, blurring forward with a series of swift, precise kunai strikes that Naruto instantly had to activate his Sharingan to block.

Kakashi jumped back and sighed. "Anything else you're hiding from me, Red?"  
Naruto grinned. "Just you wait."  
As soon as the last syllable left his mouth, orange chakra chains exploded out from the ground, and wrapped around their target, dragging it down to the ground, however the smoke cloud revealed a severely mangled log.  
Executing a swift shunshin, Naruto bent, lashing out with a swift reverse kick, following the motion, rotating and slamming his heel down on the ground, leaving a sizeable indent in the ground and Kakashi sliding backwards to dodge.  
He slid backwards, breathing a sigh of relief, growing serious shortly after, dodging a series of wind bullets.

 _He's nearly as fast as Minato-sensei already and he's 12 years old. Not to mention Kushina-nee's Kongō Fūsa. Fuck. He's already mid to high Chūnin and he's yet to even tap into that Sharingan. I wonder who fucked whom for him to get that?_

Naruto grinned, his Sharingan eyes spinning. Kakashi blinked, and shrugged off the two genjutsu being woven around him.  
"Okay, hold up. That weaving technique… only one person used it. What else did Itachi teach you, Naruto?" Kakashi stood down, happy enough with the results from this spar.  
Naruto slumped. "Everything I know. I mean, conditioning, basic taijutsu, chakra control, all that shit was done by various sadists within ANBU. But everything that it means to be an Uchiha, fighting technique, lore, clan tradition, everything. Things that he should've been teaching Sasuke too, but he had to choose me because of who I am and what I hold."  
Kakashi sighed and put a hand on the redhead's shoulder.  
"You told Sasuke the truth, didn't you? He seemed remarkably different today."  
Naruto smirked. "Of course. I'm foiling Itachi-sensei's plans. Sasuke will not drown in darkness to fulfil Itachi's own wishes of absolution. I will drag Itachi back here by his ear, hero or no. I owe Sasuke that much."  
"Hmm…" Kakashi hummed in thought. "Well that means that you'll have a lot of training to do before you can even touch Itachi's ear, let alone drag him by it."  
"Of course. I'll be counting on you, Inu-senpai. Sakura needs more help than we do, but it's lucky you can literally clone yourself, isn't it? Either way, I'm going to go get my wayward clan member and see what kind of brooding he's doing." Naruto said over his shoulder, then disappearing into a shunshin, leaving Kakashi to his thoughts.

\- Next morning, Training Ground 7 -

Naruto sat cross-legged, hands in the Ram sign, five chains waving through the air, two on each arm and one from the back of his neck, the points changing forms from kunai blades, to swords, clubs, all sorts.  
Sakura stood several feet away, eyeing the redhead with no small amount of apprehension.

Sasuke was nearby, laid back against a tree and napping.

As if sentient, Naruto's chains stiffened, and withdrew back into Naruto's body. "Kakashi-sensei. How kind of you to only be 15 minutes late."  
The scarecrow walked out from behind a tree, groaning. "Your kekkei genkai are forms of cheating, Naruto-kun."  
Naruto shrugged, standing up. "Bite me."

He then walked over to the tree Sasuke was napping on, and poked him in the side with his foot. "Oi, duckbutt. Come on."  
The raven startled, and stood up, ruffled and irritable. Smoothing out his clothes and shooting his redheaded friend a glare, tried to appear aloof and regain some of his lost dignity, failing miserably by the eye smile Kakashi was sending his way.  
"Okay, time for today's test. I have two bells. You are to come at me with the intent to kill to get them. In order to pass this test, you need to have a bell. The third person will be sent back to the Academy, or withdrawn from the program completely. You have one hour, begin." Kakashi drawled, attaching the bells to his hip and was about to withdraw his Icha Icha book before he was assaulted by orange chains.  
"You know; a good ninja is meant to be able to hide… Especially one like you." Kakashi mused, idly dodging the chains that seemed to be moving slower than yesterday… _Oh, shit.  
_ The 'Naruto' shunsined in close, grinned evilly and detonated.

A shower of dust and rock obscured the clearing, and when all had settled, a crater several metres wide resided where Kakashi and Naruto's Explosive Clone had been mere moments ago.

Meanwhile, Naruto had found Sasuke and explained the true meaning of the test, and the two had now found Sakura.  
"So, Haruno. You're brainy. Have you seen any Jōnin sensei and two genin around anywhere?" Naruto asked, checking his nails.  
Sakura was about to retort, but stopped. "Wait, no. I haven't. They're traditionally one sensei and 3 genin, you're right. So he's pitting us against each other? That dick!" Sakura formed a fist, and growled when Naruto patted her shoulder.  
"Ease up tiger. If anything, we're probably a really fuckin good team. Your chakra control would make you a fearsome backline fighter. Primarily for medic and genjutsu techniques but you'd also be strong enough to make people wary to even approach you. Sasuke-chan here is angry like a kicked cat, but good with taijutsu and offensive ninjutsu. Then there's me. I'm proficient with genjutsu and medium-range fighting. That's literally all of an assault team's bases covered. What do you say, Sakura?"

The pinkette stopped and mulled over the redhead's words. _He's right… And I can get stronger to impress Sasuke-kun!_

"Wait, why didn't you ask Sasuke-kun?" Sakura stopped and looked between the two boys who shrugged.  
"We've already met." Sasuke answered, looking back at Sakura. "So, you in?"  
She nodded, and put her hand in, followed by the two boys. "Alright!"  
"Well, fuck. You ruined my test!" Kakashi whined from behind them, only to hop up and down as Naruto lashed out at his shins.  
"Fuck off scarecrow, we're having a moment and you're not invited!" Naruto hissed, turning back to his team, to find Sakura and Sasuke eyeing him warily.

"What?"

The team now stood before the Memorial Stone in silence.  
"It's high time we reveal some things, hey Naruto? I think given what happened, you should have the honour." Kakashi stepped back, to allow Naruto some room.  
The redhead sighed, and moved forward, tracing two names on the plaque.  
Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Namikaze Minato… Uzumaki Kushina… The Yondaime and an Uzumaki?"

Naruto smiled. "Not just any Uzumaki. Shinobi of Kakashi-sensei's generation would recognise my Kongō Fūsa immediately and know of my heritage. My mother was none other than this badass, fucking amazing kunoichi they called Uzumaki Kushina. The **Benihime** , Konoha's Red Death. My father, was secretly due to marry her shortly before his untimely death. You can guess who he was… Namikaze Minato. The fastest man to walk the Shinobi Path. He died, sealing the Kyūbi into his own child, as he could ask that of no other family. Of course, the Bijū are conscious forms of chakra and cannot be killed, so he was left with no other choice. Either way, the events that led to the attack, no one is completely certain. I have spoken at length, multiple times with the Kyūbi, and he is at no more fault than you, I, or Kakashi-sensei. I hope to one day cleanse both the Uchiha name and the name of my first friend. When he is ready for you to know his name, I shall share it with you. Until then, Furball will suffice. And yes, he hates it, and yes he's swearing at me but I don't care, this is payback for that time when…"

Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura turned to look at each other as their teammate devolved into an internal argument with his tenant, looking very much a deranged asylum patient.  
Clearing his throat, the redhead turned back around. "Sorry about that..." he laughed, turning back to the Memorial Stone.  
"It gets more intense. I have been raised, and trained my ANBU agents since my 3rd birthday where I nearly died. Civilians fear what they do not understand. I don't hate them for it but I'm not exactly cheerio happy about them either. I'll prove to them who I am and who Furball is."  
He grumbled, and turned to his team.

"I cannot reveal my organisational codename or my mask to you, however I can reveal to you that in sheer combat prowess, I would easily obtain Jōnin rank. I specialise in medium-range combat, utilising my chains and fast, precise taijutsu. However, ninjutsu is my favourite. Then… Oi, Sasuke. Do you think I should show them?" Naruto cocked his head to the side.  
His raven friend considered the options for a minute. "I think, given the gravity of the secrets you've shared… This isn't that much to add. I'm sure Kakashi-sensei would be aware of it already."  
Naruto smirked. "I can assure you… he's already seen it."

Kakashi watched coolly as Naruto's cerulean blue irises bled crimson, and out of the pupils, three tomoe in each eye sprung forth and circled lazily.  
"A fully matured Sharingan indeed." Kakashi closed his eye and sighed.  
"Well, now that's out in the open. This team is… horribly unbalanced. Two Jōnin class, one high genin and one useless fangirl." Naruto leaned against a nearby tree.  
Sakura made an indignant sound but got cut off by Sasuke.  
"No, he's right. You have no ability in anything but good chakra control and booksmarts." He huffed, turning to her.  
"The way I see it, you've got two options. One, retire with a whole 10 minutes' worth of career time. Two, we get Kakashi-sensei to drive you into the ground while-"  
"Can I drive you-" Naruto started, but got kicked in the face by Sasuke.  
"While Naruto runs over Sharingan training with me." He finished, flipping off an indignant Naruto as he got up.  
"For now, I think there's been enough discussed. Meet me here at 7am tomorrow morning, sharp. Naruto, bring your equipment. All of it." Kakashi ordered, before disappearing with a two-fingered salute.

Naruto turned to his teammates. "Well, from here on we're a team. A team that can surpass the Densetsu no Sannin. I mean for starters we're lacking the Dead Last so that automatically gives us a head start. Tomorrow, we'll begin."  
He paused, and looked at Sakura. Noticing the attention, she looked at the redhead in confusion.  
"Sakura, I'm not going to lie. In 6 months, there are the Chūnin Exams, and they're to be held in Konoha. Due to Sasuke's lineage, we're likely to be forced to enter them. We're all going to be here to help you reach the level you need to, but you're going to have to put in the effort. Otherwise you will die. I'd rather not lose a comrade." Naruto explained, turning away.

"But, let's leave that for tomorrow. Eat breakfast, and a proper one. If I so much as hear a whisper of this stupid diet you're on anymore, I'll fucking dye every single item of clothing orange." Naruto hissed, before vanishing in a shunshin.  
Sakura gulped, and turned to find Sasuke already gone. "Aww."


End file.
